Strings (17 page)

             
‘OK … but I’m fine with it all’

             
‘That’s good to hear. You’re in for one hell of a ride if all goes well, so you’d better be prepared for everything to change. Never speak to the media or read anything about yourself, it’ll make you paranoid. They don't know him or you, but that won't stop them telling the world what they think they know.’ He laughed and reassured her that he was always there to help if they needed it. Then she went to find Beth.

             
Jay-Den watched her go, her long blonde hair swinging as she walked and the heels of her boots making that clicking sound. Her jeans hugged her tightly as did her brown waist-length jacket. He shook his head as she disappeared through the door. ‘Lucky son of a bitch,’ he whispered to himself. He was a little jealous of Luke Black right now, but he shook the thought away.

*****

Beth was pacing up and down outside, muttering about Jay-Den and how she hated being told what to do.

             
‘Don't stress, babe, it’s not that bad.’ Melissa could see the frustration in Beth’s eyes.

             
Beth hated having control taken away – she’d had total control of her life since she started to take care of herself at a young age.

‘Sorry. I know, but he annoys me
.’ She realised it sounded ungrateful after all he’d done. But she had noticed how he looked at Melissa, even if nobody else had. It wasn’t unusual – most men looked at her like that, but she thought he could have a little more respect for Luke, and make an effort not to leer.

             
‘You know me, Liss, hate being told what to do.’ Beth flicked her curls off her face and smiled. She wasn’t worried. Melissa would never cheat – she didn’t have it in her to do that to anyone, and she definitely wouldn’t do it to Luke. Melissa laughed at Beth’s observation but kept quiet about her chat with Jay-Den, not wanting Beth’s mind to go into overdrive. Even if she were single, Jay-Den was too much in love with himself for her liking.

*****

‘You’ve got a tear in your shoe!’

             
‘What?’ Melissa almost shrieked as she looked down and saw her black and silver heels were fine. Luke had been joking, and she threw him a horrified look.

             
‘Oh, I have your attention now?’ he said, sounding a little sarcastic.

             
‘You horrible git. That was just mean.’

             
Luke frowned at her. He knew she had things on her mind but it wasn’t the first time that day he’d had to take drastic measures to grab her attention. Melissa shifted her gaze back and forth nervously before resting her head on his shoulder.

‘What’s wrong?’ he asked. ‘Don’t bottle things up.’

              ‘Nothing.’

             
‘Liss, I’m not an idiot.’

             
‘It’s just me being stupid. I worry that you’ll meet someone else when you’re away. Someone better than me.’ She tried so hard not to feel that way. Most of the time she was fine, but sometimes it would creep into her mind. 

             
‘Shut up you muppet! Who’s going to be better than you?’ He laughed but realised that even to a beautiful girl like Melissa there would always be doubt. Melissa shrugged and pointed out that there were plenty of girls who could take her place. ‘Well, I think I have a say in that. You’ve nothing to worry about Babe, OK?’ He reminded her of the promise he’d made. He hadn’t forgotten, and he had every intention of keeping it.

             
‘They’re lying in wait outside.’ She remembered how different things were now, and stopped herself from kissing him, suddenly feeling like she was a circus act. Then she noticed some girls watching them while whispering to each other.

             
‘Stop staring at us,’ she hissed quietly through gritted teeth, ‘god, is it too much to ask for one day with you?’

             
‘Liss, don’t stress out. It’s fine. They’re doing no harm.’ Luke laughed and waved at them. It didn't seem to bother him at all, and he reminded her not to offend the fans. She sighed, knowing he was right, as usual.

             
‘Just don't encourage them too much. Can we go soon?’ Melissa whispered as the group giggled excitedly.

             
‘Oh come on – I just made their day,’ he laughed a little smugly.

             
Melissa counted to ten in her head, then turned to wave and smile at them too. Dutiful girlfriend bit done. She knew this came with the territory. The fans weren’t really the problem – it was important that they had some. Most of them were pretty cool. But some girls would look at her like she was something they’d wiped off their shoe. The green-eyed monster was unable to hide on some of their faces. I should be smug about it, she thought. But it annoyed her more than anything.

             
‘It’s as if you’d be with them if it wasn’t for me. I hate it when they look at me like that,’ she would moan to Luke frequently.

             
Luke would nod – she was right. It would have to be someone incredible to knock Melissa off her throne. The intrusion into their lives was only just beginning and already she was paranoid, and becoming very selfish about the small amount of time she got to spend with him.

Eventually,
they left for their hotel. Melissa was blinded by a flash before she even stepped outside. The lens was right in her face. She was taken off guard, and she whipped her head up angrily.

             
‘Shit. What the …?’ Then she remembered the paparazzi that were waiting for a final confirmation shot of Luke Black’s ‘official’ girlfriend.

             
‘It’s OK, just keep walking,’ Luke instructed quietly in her ear. He glared at one who had ventured too close. ‘Back off mate,’ he warned. He would play the game but he wouldn’t stand for either of them being cornered like animals. They crowded around like predators – he hadn’t expected it to be so intense. It was in that moment that Luke confirmed their relationship to the world without having to utter a word. He pulled her into his arms, shielding her. Melissa buried her face into his chest as he guided her to their waiting car. His kiss on her forehead as they settled into the back seat was captured clearly, giving everyone their answer.              

             
The headline next morning was simple, ‘Luke Black steps out with a beautiful blonde confirming his love status … sorry girls but he is spoken for!’

*****

‘Please come home soon,’ Melissa begged down the phone.

             
‘It’s just a few more days, babe.’ He was pleased to hear her voice because he hadn’t had the chance to keep in touch as much as he’d hoped, due to their hectic schedule and the time difference.

             
Melissa decided not to nag him about his text-only contact, and let him get his career off the ground without having to worry about having a clingy girlfriend to please along with everything else. ‘How many hotel rooms have you smashed up?’ she joked instead. ‘It’d better be impressive.’

             
‘Oh, a few. We don’t keep count.’ He sounded so happy that she really didn’t mind about the lack of calls. She smiled while she listened to him talk excitedly about New York and being ambushed by fans. The public were liking his music, but one thing concerned him. Melissa burst out laughing when he told her.

             
‘What's wrong with a photo shoot?’ Ray had arranged one with
Highway
magazine. Luke wasn’t keen and complained about having to wear make-up. That definitely wasn't going to happen. ‘If I’d wanted to do bloody photo shoots I’d have become a model.’ He didn't have an issue with having his picture taken, but this was a professional shoot and they’d been told they would have to wear make-up. Melissa was in fits of giggles.

             
‘I am not putting that shit on my face. Not happening,’ he ranted, getting himself more fired up over it. Melissa had a sneaking suspicion that Ray was having Luke on because he could be a bit of a joker sometimes.

             
Their phone conversation moved on to family commitments, as her parents wanted to see him and Melissa when he got back. Jean cooked a mean roast dinner so he was happy with that, knowing he would be well fed.

             
‘I bet you’re not eating well,’ Melissa commented, knowing they’d be living off fast food and beer. It was the reason she’d started to cook more often. Her mother had taught her well. Cooking for Luke and the guys was something she enjoyed, when she could get them to sit down for more than five minutes. Cooking wasn’t in their schedule because it just took up time when they could be drinking or playing. Their tour games didn’t help matters – the game of Twenty-one was a regular in their activities. The rules were simple – just count to twenty-one. It sounded simple enough but included a host of complicated sub-rules, all of which led to drinking forfeits. It could and did descend into chaos very quickly. Then there was the card game ‘Shithead’ at which Tom was the champion, much to Beth’s annoyance.

             
Another game invented out of sheer boredom when travelling was the retweet game. It had simple rules. Everyone tweeted something funny or random and then retweeted, seeing how many people they could get involved. No matter what the tweet was or who it was about, it still had to be retweeted. It caused all kinds of disagreements especially if it was insulting or embarrassing, and the game could go on for hours. Ray found it highly irritating and would cover his ears and ignore it. The girls loved it because with all the social networking they didn’t feel completely cut off from the boys. They would get involved in the game at home, and it helped bridge the gap between them. Luke had won the last game and his tweet simply said, ‘Dale is a prick’.
It was retweeted
twelve hundred times because the fans had joined in. They had to be reigned in sometimes, but it was all good fun and it helped their image as boys who liked to have a good time.

They loved chatting to fans, spending hours replying to tweets.
Toby could get a little too friendly sometimes, and Ray would have to remind him that some girls might take what he said a little too seriously, so he had to be very careful.

             
‘You know we don’t eat well,’ Luke said honestly. ‘Nothing like
your
cooking anyway.’

             
‘Hmmm,’ Melissa replied. ‘If you say so. More like you lot are too lazy.’

             
‘We’re way too busy,’ he chuckled. ‘I’m a rock star, not a chef.’ The thought of Luke standing in a kitchen cooking a meal didn’t seem right even to her.

‘OK, roast
lamb at my parents’ house when you’re back. And it’ll stop them moaning about never seeing me any more,’ Melissa laughed. Her parents adored Luke, and thought it was great how well things were going for him. Embarrassingly, they had started to listen to their music in an attempt to show their support. Her mother loved it – there was definitely a rock chick lurking inside her. She actually wanted to go to one of their shows. It made Melissa cringe but Luke thought it was cool. He assured Melissa that
his
parents felt the same about her. In fact Debbie Black couldn’t have been happier with her son’s choice.

             
‘She’s adorable, not to mention beautiful,’ his mother had gushed after their first meeting.

             
They talked until Melissa was nearly at her car. She didn’t want to stop talking to him but he was on his way to yet another interview.

             
‘Don’t forget that I love you to bits, OK?’ She walked on, smiling at how happy he was. All she wanted him to do was what he loved.

*****

Melissa ended her day on a relatively good note. The cafe hadn’t been too busy and her boss had been in a good mood – a rare thing because she was a miserable old witch. The fact that Melissa was dating Luke seemed to put her back up, and she always made a point of picking on Melissa so she would know she wouldn’t be getting special treatment. But Melissa had never asked for or expected anything. It didn't help matters that at times people only came in to see Melissa or stare through the window. It didn’t occur to anyone that she was in a difficult position, trying to keep her boss happy and her boyfriend’s new following too. But her priority was the fans because it wouldn’t be long before she could tell her boss to stick it. Despite missing him, she realised that their time apart hadn't been too bad. It proved that their relationship didn’t fall apart the moment he went on the road, and this gave her confidence and hope for their future.

             
She’d parked her car, a blue Corsa, in a nearby car park. It was dark and deserted and only one street lamp was working, so there was only a dim glow lighting the street. She was halfway across the car park when she heard footsteps behind her. Thinking it must be the paparazzi again she turned, ready to yell at them. But she couldn’t see anybody. I must be hearing things, she thought. But she definitely felt as though she was being watched. As she scanned the car park again she saw a figure by the entrance, standing still and appearing to watching. It made her jump, and she let out a low shriek. The person’s hood was up, and the fur edges were pulled in so that the face was hidden, giving them a sinister look. The figure started walking in her direction, slowly at first and then picking up speed until he or she (she couldn’t tell which) was running.